The transmission speed or throughput of your connection to the Internet. Measured in Kbps or Mbps (56Kbps, 1.4Mbps for instance).
(Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). A server in a network or Internet service that assigns IP addresses to the multiple stations on the network.
A DNS server lets you locate computers on a network or the Internet by domain name. The DNS server maintains a database of domain names and their corresponding IP addresses.
The address of a computer attached to a network. Every device must have a unique IP address, commonly written as four numbers separated by periods. (Ex: 192.168.1.1)
An expression of how much time it takes for a packet of data to get from one designated point to another, sometimes measured as a round trip. Ideally, latency is as close to zero as possible.
A common Internet utility used to determine whether a particular IP address is online by sending out a packet (block of data) and waiting for a response.
A device that forwards data packets from one local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) to another. Routers send packets based on the most expedient route.
An Internet utility that traces the route from the client machine to the remote host being contacted. It reports the IP addresses of all the routers in between.
Our Bandwidth and Ping tests can help you pinpoint problems with your connection--and in some cases, offer a fix. However, it's important to remember that several factors may affect a connection at any given time. As a result, you may see very different results from repeated tests. To get an accurate picture of how your connection is performing, first make sure you apply any tips you find here, then test several times at once, and at different times of the day. You should also continually monitor your connection across a period of weeks to watch for any ongoing trends or problems.
Three factors outside your computer control how quickly you can view Web pages:
Average Ping measures the round-trip time in milliseconds for a packet to travel from the PC being tested to seven Web sites and back; lower numbers indicate better performance. Ping Loss indicates what percent of the packets sent did not return; ideally this should be zero, indicating that all the packets were returned.
Ping times and losses can vary greatly depending on the speed and quality of your Internet connection, congestion on the Internet, and the load being handled by the PC Matic server. In general, ping times under 100ms are typical of T1, DSL, or cable modems. Consistent ping times of more than 500ms should only be seen in connections that span continents (e.g., USA to Europe) and/or are linked by satellite. Ping losses usually indicate Internet congestion.
The Bandwidth measurement is, in simple terms, the transmission speed or throughput of your connection to the Internet. However, measuring bandwidth can be tricky, since the lowest bandwidth point between your computer and the site you're looking at determines the effective transmission speed at any moment. Our tests measure the Internet bandwidth between your computer and PC Matic's servers.
In general, if your bandwidth result is roughly 85% of the rated connection speed for your modem or device, you're receiving acceptable throughput (though shared connections may affect this, too). However, since Internet performance can be erratic and you can't expect to get nominal bandwidth every time you test, you should test several times, and at different times of the day, to get the most accurate rating.